Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We had an opportunity to have an initial discussion on the motion at the meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality last week. As I pointed out then, I was part of the committee delegation that visited Cork Prison last year. The governor made it clear from the outset that the prison is not up to standard and does not comply with the requirements of a civilised society. When people are in prison, we want to rehabilitate them and have the environment that allows that to happen. On that basis, the new prison is welcome and the sooner it is built, the better.

However, since last week's committee meeting there has been very strong criticism from the Irish Penal Reform Trust and individuals such as Fr. Peter McVerry about the proposal for shared cells. It is very welcome that slopping out will cease. At the moment almost all the cells in Cork Prison require slopping out, which is a very demeaning practice. However, the practical difficulties with shared cells are obviously that somebody has to use the toilet in front of another human being. If we are trying to rehabilitate prisoners and take them away from the life they had led to being fully equipped to act as a participating citizen, having to use a toilet in front of another person is a bad way to start.

There are also issues with prisoners trying to come off drugs. Unfortunately, many people who have been imprisoned are addicted to drugs. A prisoner may be in a cell with another who is not coming off drugs. There are practical reasons and also reasons of dignity for moving away from multiple occupancy cells. Sinn Féin wants to support the motion but before wrapping up the debate, I want the Minister to give an assurance that he will do everything to look at those plans again and see if amendments can be made because we want to move forward. The redevelopment of Mountjoy Prison has been very welcome and it now has single occupancy cells. Already apparently the impact has been extremely positive.

Our committee prepared the penal reform report which has been submitted to the Minister for consideration. It is an excellent report completed by our rapporteur, Senator Bacik, and agreed unanimously. It contains a vision for decarceration with a target of reducing prisoner numbers by a third.

The report includes looking at community service, restorative justice and alternatives to imprisonment for people who are convicted of minor offences. Naturally, there is a need for people who are a threat to society and who are violent to continue to be imprisoned. We need to see a tailored plan for prisoners and to have an exit strategy for people when they are imprisoned that will take them through the process and that will ensure they are genuinely rehabilitated.

We examined other issues. At the moment if a man is in prison and if he keeps his head down and does not engage in any real reform of himself as a person he will get 25% remission almost automatically. The sub-committee on penal reform has argued that there should be tangible rehabilitation on a tailor-made basis with a personal plan. In response the incentive could be one third remission for prisoners within the system.

We want to see value for money. We are paying approximately €65,000 for every prisoner locked up each year. It is costing us a fortune and the long-term benefits are not evident.

The five-point plan from the sub-committee, which was an all-party proposal given to the Minister, is a real template for progress. I urge the Minister in that spirit to examine the plans for the prison in Cork again. Let us move on as we mean to go along. We want to rehabilitate prisoners. In 2013, in what we hope is a civilised State, is it really appropriate that people have to use the toilet in front of others? It is altogether demeaning and totally unacceptable for what is a new prison being built here and now. I urge the Minister to address the concerns of the brilliant people who work in partnership with us, including Fr. Peter McVerry and those in the Irish Penal Reform Trust, who we all respect in the House as making a constructive contribution to penal reform the State.

It is not about easy solutions for people who find themselves in crime. This is not about easy alternatives but hard ones. I recognise that the Minister is enthusiastic about restorative justice. When a person must stand in front of his victims and take ownership of what he has done and do the right thing and when a person has to do community service in his community for what are not serious crimes but crimes nonetheless, it is a case of painful and difficult choices, but they cost the taxpayer less and we get a better result. In the context of penal reform and of a new vision for how we run our criminal justice system and our prisons, let us progress on the right basis. I appeal to Minister to do everything he can to address the issue of double occupancy. The Minister should also reassure the NGOs with whom we are partners in this regard and he should do so today.

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